Global Domination

Thursday, February 22

Why Won't You Behave?

It's one of my bug-bears, the way people conduct themselves in theatres. If you've paid £50 or £60 pounds for a theatre ticket, and you have to these days sometimes, then each song costs about £3 to hear. That's more expensive than iTunes. As a result, I like to hear it all. I like to watch it all. I don't like the people around me to be talking or otherwise spoiling it. I like the live audience, and an audience that reacts to what's happening on stage, as a group, sincerely, is a great thing to be a part of.

I absolutely hate the British tradition of talking over the overture. Hello!? £3 worth of entertainment just ruined.

I also hate it when people giggle at a stage gunshot. Idiots!

Last night's show was not ruined. It was, however, detracted from by the following:

Some talking over the entr'acte (the cast have ways of starting the show to avoid the overture being spoken over)

Talking at the end of act one, though I think that was between a couple, complaining of:

Someone bloody singing along - slightly out of time, not very loudly, but providing a definite local-echo of what was happening on stage!

Exaggerated reactions to what was happening on stage - simpering, sighing, excitable giggling and other childish behaviour

Now... actually... I think it's nice that people love the show enough to be totally overwhelmed by it. I can even understand why someone might involuntarily sing along a bit - even mouth the words along a bit - I was running the songs through in my head concurrently with watching them. However, to be a constant source of disruption to those around you is selfish and ignorant.

Still, the show was so good, I was only slightly irritated. I was very busy with enjoying the way that the show has been written and orchestrated, making excellent use of the band and ensemble. You're not going to get to enjoy such examples of unison singing, belting, whispering and the splits in any other package as neatly as in Chicago.